Damage, Inc.

Aloha. Got back from Orlando yesterday. Had a good, but busy, time attending a hospital pharmacy conference. The thing was freakin' huge, more than 15,000 in attendance. Temps were in the 80s down there. It was still pretty strange seeing decorated Christmas trees while everyone's walking around in shorts. My flights were on Delta's Song airline, which is pretty dang cool. Song is big on providing distractions, such as personal TV screens in every seat back, Dish Network TV channels, streaming audio, and the ability to play music trivia against fellow passengers. I kicked ass on the trivia game, winning every time I played, including one time when I got 20/20 correct. Of course, I was playing against 12-year-olds and old people, but what the hey. The personal TV idea isn't a new one, as Virgin Atlantic offered it when I flew to London eight years ago. But making an airline a little more fun is a worthwhile endeavor indeed.

Strangeness from the rock world. Some deranged mook stormed on stage during a DamagePlan show in Columbus and shot and killed the band's guitarist, Dimebag Darrell Abbott, and three others before a cop killed him. Abbott and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, were two of the founding members of the metal band Pantera. I was never a Pantera fan and barely aware of DamagePlan before this morning, but it's still a shocking incident. Rumor has it the guy said something to Darrell about the breakup of Pantera, which was a beloved band among metalheads. Geez, dude, if you're pissed about that, give him the finger or something. How utterly pointless.

The NHL and its player's union met today for the first time since September, with the union making a significant proposal, something even the league acknowledged. The two sides will meet again Tuesday and the NHL is expected to make a counter-offer. Hopefully, they'll work something out and we'll get half a season in. While we wait for real hockey to be played, check out this cool site (thanks to LHB for the tip) for some simulated action.

Here's one of the stranger stories of the year. Ukranian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko went from a handsome, DeNiro-esque heartthrob to looking like the Swamp Thing in a matter of months. Some conspiracy theorists say he was poisoned somehow, but whatever it is, it's freaky deaky.

And, uh, ouch.